Boko Haram attack island on Niger side of Lake Chad: sources

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Boko Haram militants attacked an island on Niger's side of Lake Chad late on Friday and heavy fighting ensued as the army sought to repel them, residents and security sources said.

The Lake Chad area - a vast maze of tiny islands and swampland - is thought to be serving as a hideout for the Sunni insurgent group. Last week, Boko Haram members aboard motorized canoes attacked a lakeside fishing village in Chad in the first known lethal attack on the country.